Metro FMR · CBSA 48060 · HUD FY2026

Watertown-Fort Drum, NY MSA Fair Market Rent

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for the Watertown-Fort Drum, NY MSA metro area - 12% above the US average.

$1,071
1-bedroom FMR
$1,405
2-bedroom FMR
+9.6%
YoY change
+12%
vs US avg

The verdict

A 2-bedroom in the Watertown-Fort Drum, NY MSA area rents at $1,405 under HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent - 20% above the US average, higher than 62% of the 387 metro areas HUD tracks.

#147
priciest of 387 US metros (2BR)
+20%
vs the US 2-bedroom average
$56,200
income to afford it (30% rule)
+9.6%
1BR change, FY2025→2026

Affordability & income context

Watertown-Fort Drum: #147 priciest nationally · income context

At the metro's ACS median household income of $64,978, this 1-bedroom FMR takes 19.8% of annual income. It is well below the 30% affordability guide for a median-income household.

The 2-bedroom figure places Watertown-Fort Drum in the middle half of HUD metro areas, using the same FY2026 HUD schedule as the national comparison.

With 117,445 residents, this is a smaller-metro benchmark rather than a single-neighborhood rent quote.

Population has held roughly steady over the past five years (+1.5%, Census ACS).

The ACS rental vacancy rate here is 5.4%, close to the range where market rents and HUD's FMR benchmark tend to track each other.

The Census ACS median gross rent across all rental units here is $1,214/month - the FY2026 HUD two-bedroom FMR of $1,405 runs 15.7% above that all-unit-types median. The two figures measure different things (ACS covers every rented unit; FMR targets a specific bedroom count), so a gap is expected, not an error.

Its 2-bedroom FMR sits in the middle half of HUD metro areas, so the local-income comparison is more informative than the national rank alone.

The studio-through-two-bedroom FMR bands stay below 30% of recorded median income here; the larger-bedroom rows show where that headroom narrows.

Observed renter burden: 42.7% of the 21,423 renter households counted by ACS paid at least 30% of income in gross rent. This ACS 2023 household measure is distinct from the FY2026 HUD FMR benchmark.

ACS median household income lags the FY2026 HUD FMR schedule. The income share is a same-metro cross-source read (Census ACS B19013 vs HUD FMR), not a same-vintage ratio.

Studio

$969/mo

17.9% of median income

1 Bedroom

$1,071/mo

19.8% of median income

2 Bedroom

$1,405/mo

25.9% of median income

3 Bedroom

$1,907/mo

35.2% of median income

4 Bedroom

$2,340/mo

43.2% of median income

FMR filing desk

CBSA CBSA·48060

Watertown-Fort Drum: $1,071/mo 1BR · #147 of 387 metros (2BR) · FY2026 CBSA 48060

  • CBSA 48060
  • 1BR-FMR $1,071
  • 2BR-FMR $1,405
  • RANK-MID #147
  • YOY-SURGE +9.6%
  • VSUS-ABOVE +12%
  • IN-ST-LOW #5 NY
  • INC-ROOM 20%
  • POP-MID 117K
  • PHOTO-NEAR Albany-Schenectady
  • VOUCH-90-110 $964–$1,178
  • FY-2026 FY2026

Photo-finish peer: Albany-Schenectady-Troy ($346 1BR gap)

Read with: Understanding rent trends

Where Watertown-Fort Drum sits among every US metro

2-bedroom Fair Market Rent vs. all 387 HUD metro areas

$1,405 Top 38% higher than 62% of 387 metro areas

$800–$1,000: 28 metro areas (7%). Below this entry. $1,000–$1,200: 114 metro areas (29%). Below this entry. $1,200–$1,400: 95 metro areas (25%). Below this entry. $1,400–$1,600: 52 metro areas (13%). This entry sits in this band. $1,600–$1,800: 41 metro areas (11%). Above this entry. $1,800–$2,000: 26 metro areas (7%). Above this entry. $2,000–$2,200: 9 metro areas (2%). Above this entry. $2,200–$2,400: 5 metro areas (1%). Above this entry. $2,400–$2,600: 5 metro areas (1%). Above this entry. $2,600–$2,800: 5 metro areas (1%). Above this entry. $2,800–$3,000: 4 metro areas (1%). Above this entry. $3,000–$3,200: 2 metro areas (1%). Above this entry. $3,200–$3,400: 0 metro areas (0%). Above this entry. $3,400–$3,600: 0 metro areas (0%). Above this entry. $3,600–$3,800: 0 metro areas (0%). Above this entry. $3,800–$4,000: 0 metro areas (0%). Above this entry. $4,000–$4,200: 0 metro areas (0%). Above this entry. $4,200–$4,400: 1 metro areas (0%). Above this entry. This metro $800 $4,400 every US metro, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $0.2K-wide band; taller bars hold more metro areas. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

What this shows #147 of 387 HUD-tracked metro areas, 20% above the national 2-bedroom average. 51 other metro areas fall in this same rent band.

Source U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents · FY2026

Watertown-Fort Drum studio–4BR schedule (FY2026) · 2BR #147 nationally

1BR $1,071 (+12% vs US, +9.6% YoY). Each bedroom band below is FY2026 HUD FMR for CBSA 48060.

Studio
$969
US avg $893
↑9.0% YoY +9% vs US
1 Bedroom
$1,071
US avg $959
↑9.6% YoY +12% vs US
2 Bedroom
$1,405
US avg $1,175
↑9.6% YoY +20% vs US
3 Bedroom
$1,907
US avg $1,525
↑9.6% YoY +25% vs US
4 Bedroom
$2,340
US avg $1,756
↑9.7% YoY +33% vs US

How Watertown-Fort Drum compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs other NY metro areas

1BR FMR / mo

What this shows Watertown-Fort Drum highlighted among 5 peers · FY2026 1BR HUD FMR.

Source U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) As of FY2026

Watertown-Fort Drum: out-of-state FMR & burden peers

PlainRent pairs Watertown-Fort Drum with the 4 nearest HUD 2BR schedules and 4 nearest burden matches outside NY (burden peers exclude the FMR set; pop ≥50k).

2BR FMR · outside NY

Nearest schedules by 2BR delta (FY2026).

State College
PA · 2 BR $1,406/mo
Hinesville
GA · 2 BR $1,406/mo
Aransas County
TX · 2 BR $1,407/mo
Rochester
MN · 2 BR $1,407/mo

Burden % · outside NY

Nearest 2BR FMR ÷ ACS median income (FY2026).

Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler
AZ · 26.1% of income · 2 BR $1,839/mo
Albuquerque
NM · 25.8% of income · 2 BR $1,464/mo
Carson City
NV · 25.8% of income · 2 BR $1,546/mo
Charleston-North Charleston
SC · 26.1% of income · 2 BR $1,787/mo

Watertown-Fort Drum: quick answers

What is the average rent in the Watertown-Fort Drum, NY MSA metro area? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Watertown-Fort Drum, NY MSA is $1,071 per month. A 2-bedroom is $1,405 and a studio is $969.
How does Watertown-Fort Drum, NY MSA rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in the Watertown-Fort Drum, NY MSA metro area is 12% above the national average. A 1-bedroom costs $1,071 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Watertown-Fort Drum rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
HUD's FY 2026 2-bedroom FMR of $1,405 ranks #147 most expensive among 387 US metro areas (the middle half of HUD metro areas).
What income do I need to afford rent in Watertown-Fort Drum, NY MSA? ▼
Based on the 30% affordability rule, you need an annual income of at least $42,840 ($3,570/month) to afford a 1-bedroom at Fair Market Rent in the Watertown-Fort Drum, NY MSA area.
Is Watertown-Fort Drum's population growing, and how tight is its rental market? ▼
Population has held roughly steady over the past five years (+1.5%, Census ACS). The ACS rental vacancy rate here is 5.4%, close to the range where market rents and HUD's FMR benchmark tend to track each other.

Compare Watertown-Fort Drum vs Albany-Schenectady-Troy →

What this means for renters

Treat Watertown-Fort Drum's FY2026 Fair Market Rent as HUD's affordability benchmark, not a single market quote.

Fair Market Rent is HUD's 40th-percentile policy benchmark used to set Housing Choice Voucher payment standards. This is a metro-wide figure across 1 county; actual asking rents in any specific county can run higher or lower, and HUD updates FMRs once a year. This site is informational and not financial or relocation advice.

Data as of FY 2026. Source: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Fair Market Rents. Population and demographic data from U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS).

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

FY 2026 HUD FMR $1,071/mo · 1BR NY

Every figure on PlainRent is rendered directly from HUD's published Fair Market Rent records, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of FY 2026.